Three Naxals were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, said the police on Saturday. The encounter broke out between the security forces and the Naxals in Bijapur's Indravati forest region. Intermittent firing began at 9:00 am, as per the officials.
Bodies of the two Naxalites have been recovered from the encounter site, the official said, adding that the operation was underway in the area.
The development comes the same day when two terrorists were neutralised in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar during an encounter with the security forces during the ongoing 'Operation Chhatru'. A large quantity of "war-like stores," including one AK and one M4 rifle were also recovered, the Army's White Knight Corps said on Saturday in a post on X.
Earlier this month, two women Naxalites were killed in an encounter with police in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla district. The encounter occurred under Bichhiya police station limits, said Director General Police (DGP) Kailash Makwana.
An SLR rifle, an ordinary rifle, wireless set and some items of daily use were recovered from the spot, said the DGP.
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18 Naxals Killed In Earlier Operation
Last month, as many as 18 Naxalites including 11 women were neutralised in twin encounters in Chhattisgarh's Sukma and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region.
The encounters took place on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Chhattisgarh on March 30.
Four jawans were wounded as security teams inflicted major damage on Naxals, killing 17 cadres, including a high-ranking Maoist, identified as Kuhdami Jagdish, carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head, in Sukma, police said.
Jagdish was wanted in over than a dozen deadly Naxal incidents, including the 2013 Jhiram Valley attack that left several Congress leaders dead.
A Naxal was killed in a separate encounter in the neighbouring Bijapur district.
Among the four injured security personnel, three belong to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a unit of the state police, while the fourth is from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), they said.